Joseph at New Theatre Oxford

Joseph at New Theatre Oxford

I do love the theatre, whether it’s Shakespeare, a West End play, Opera (really don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, or musical theatre.  I’ve loved the theatre since I was a child and love sharing that passion with my own son.  Last week I was invited to see Joseph at New Theatre Oxford by the team at The Ambassador Theatre Group.  There was no way I wasn’t going to accept that invitation.  With a little bit of child care juggling, I headed into the city on the bus, met up with my Musical mad friend N, and walked along to the New Theatre on George Street, right in the heart of Oxford.

Joseph at New Theatre Oxford

We were met by the ATG team and got to see the lovely lounge area that ATG Theatre Card Gold members can use before the performance and in the interval.  It’s a great space to meet up with friends and have pre-show drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.  There’s even a piano bar now, although we didn’t get an opportunity to enjoy that on this visit.

Before we knew it, it was time to take our seats, Joseph at New Theatre Oxford was about to begin.  I can remember seeing the show some years ago and knew I’d be humming along with the songs within minutes.  Joe McElderry (of X-Factor fame) plays Joseph on this current tour, with Lucy Kay as the Narrator, in the story based on the biblical tale of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, this is a really classic show.

Jacob has 12 sons, his favourite being Joseph.  He’s a dreamer and sadly despised by his brothers.  He tells his brothers that one day they will all bow down to him, which doesn’t go down well.  Then his father gives his favourite son a wonderful coat, full of colour and he’s destiny is set.  Full of jealousy, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and is taken to Egypt in chains.  As a slave belonging to Potiphar, Joseph becomes the play thing of the rich man’s wife, which sees him ending up in prison.

Thankfully for Joseph, his dreams will be his saviour.  The Pharoah has  been having mysterious dreams, can Joseph interpret them correctly and save both himself and Egypt?Will Joseph be reunited with his father, and will his brothers repent?

I have to say that Joe McElderry has a wonderful voice, I loved him on X-Factor and he did the Joseph role proud.  His performance of Close Every Door to Me was a goosebump moment for both N and I.  It was truly wonderful.  I wish I had photographs to share with you, as the lighting on this production was really impressive.  There are plenty of comedy moments throughout the show and Emilianos Stamatakis is brilliant as an Elvis inspired Pharaoh.

We were left on our feet, singing along to the encore.  A great night was had by all.  The Joseph tour continues across the country with tickets available until early July.  I can thoroughly recommend the show.  It’s a family friendly classic and one I’d watch time and again.

disclaimer:  we were given free tickets in exchange for an honest review.

 

2 thoughts on “Joseph at New Theatre Oxford

  1. I love Joseph. One of my favourites from my childhood and a friend and I were quite obsessed with the soundtrack although I’ve yet to download it to play it to N. I can’t see him being quite as excited!

    I remember watching it for a birthday outing way back and seeing Philip Schofield in it at the New Theatre.

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